The Theories Of Language Acquisition - 1237 Words

Behaviourism, one of the earliest scientific explanations of language acquisition was greatly influenced by theorist B.F Skinner (1957). The techniques of this learning theory have long been absorbed in the education setting to promote behaviours that are desirable and to dishearten those who are not (Stanbridge, 2014). As one of the developers of behaviorism B.F. Skinner (1957) accounted for language development by means of environmental influence, particularly a child’s reaction to reward and punishment. Skinner justified that behaviours that are rewarded, would be repeated, but behaviours that are disciplined or ignored will lessen. B.F Skinner (1957) also recognised two types of reinforcement, positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, and explained how these strategies can strengthen the behaviour that follows. Skinner described positive reinforcement as a behaviour being followed by the presentation of a positive stimulus, thus the behaviour then increases (Hannum, 2006). For example, when a baby says ‘Ma, ma’ for the first time, we naturally get very excited and repeat the sounds back to the child, reinforcing the behaviour which makes it more likely for the child to produce that word again. (Centre for Learning Innovation, 2006, p. 8) This is called positive reinforcement. Naturally, children seek approval from people or teachers they admire and work for things that bring them a positive atmosphere (Cherry, 2015). By smiling, praising and commending theShow MoreRelatedThe Theories Of Language Acquisition1707 Words   |  7 PagesLanguage Developmental research is fascinated with how young children are able to acquire language. This fascination has led to the development of numerous theories of language acquisition. Two major theories of language acquisition include the behaviorist theory and the innatist theory. Both contrasting theories are influential to developmental research and inspire much research in an attempt to support or disprove each theory. Behaviorist Theory of Language Acquisition The behaviorist theoryRead MoreThe Theory Of Language Acquisition Essay1410 Words   |  6 PagesNumerous theories try to explain the process of language acquisition. These theories fall into one of two camps. The environmentalist (or connectionist) theory of language acquisition asserts that language is acquired through environmental factors (Halvaei et al. 811). Theorists in this camp believe that a child learns language by gaining information from the outside world and then forming associations between words and objects. The nativist (or rationalist) approach, on the other hand, assertsRead MoreLanguage Acquisition Theory And Language Learning1488 Words   |  6 PagesA language acquisition theory was first proposed by Skinner (1957). He argued that children acquire a language by being exposed to the influence of environment they live in. The hypothesis on the distinction between language acquisition and language learning was proposed by an American linguist and educational r esearcher Stephen Krashen. When we consider ‘language learning’ broadly speaking - we usually mean all activities performed by second language learners in order to attain a required levelRead MoreThe Theory Of Innate Language Acquisition994 Words   |  4 Pagesoriginal thoughts was Steven Pinker. In the early nineties Pinker’s debate of language acquisition became a popular notion due to the beliefs within his book ‘The Language Instinct’ (1994). The book describes the basic human instinct to learn and acquire language as a means to communicate and understand situations. In a similar vein to Chomsky he describes language as an instinct and not a skill that’s dependant on acquisition. This concept suggests that proof is merely the way that children can speakRead MoreThe Theories Of First Language Acquisition Essay1636 Words   |  7 PagesFIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (3 points) Explain the three main theories of first language acquisition as we have studied them in this course (do not include Piaget as one of them). What are the limitations of the first two theories? How does the third better reflect the way we understand the acquisition of a first language? The three main theories of first language acquisition we have studied in this course are the following: Behaviorist Theory: States that first language acquisition is the resultRead MoreThe s Theory On Language Acquisition Essay1365 Words   |  6 Pagesclosing your eyes when exposed to extreme brightness, one of the most unique human instincts is language. Language is the system in which humans can communicate amongst each other, an incredible phenomenon, and yet for many years psychologists and scientists have yet to come up with one set theory as to how we acquire the languages we have. There are two fundamentally different theories on language acquisition that I will be presenting, the first by linguist Noam Chomsky and the second by psychologistRead MoreSecond Language Acquisition Theories1239 Words   |  5 Pagessee themselves as volunteer ‘tutors’ but rather as English buddies to their young ELL partners (see p. 175). Why would the researchers insist on this subtle, but real, shift in the identity of the volunteers? Discuss at least two second language acquisitio n theories that could plausibly be guiding the researchers. In Latino Children Learning English-The Steps in the Journey by Guadalupe Valdes, Sarah Capitelli, and Laura Alvarez we look the colleagues looking at the range of affordances on pageRead MoreTheories in Second Language Acquisition1470 Words   |  6 PagesThere has been a lot of research in Second Language Acquisition and there has many theories in this field. Since the 1970s more scholars have been very keen to explain the acquisition process. Particular attention has been given to the way we process information and this involves input and output. The major debate on this subject is what takes place in between the two stages. This essay will consider the contributions made by each of the above named scholars on the models of SLA. They each have theirRead MoreThe Theories Of Child Language Acquisition1963 Words   |  8 PagesThe great debate in theories of child language acquisition involves the initial stage of language learning. This is also called the nature versus nurture de bate, where some theorists argue that children naturally acquire linguistic skills from simple exposure to language. Others claim that it requires more deliberate teaching and education; it is not a merely natural phenomenon. In addition to the main stages of language acquisition, I hope to offer summaries of the key debates in the scholarly fieldRead MoreTheories Of Primary Language Acquisition2337 Words   |  10 PagesTwo theories of primary language acquisition emerged from 1950s psychological research: B.F. Skinner’s behaviorist theory and Noam Chomsky’s biological theory of language development. Primary language acquisition addresses specifically the way in which an infant’s native language is beginning to form, starting at birth. Primary language acquisition continues to develop throughout the rest of childhood within the critical period. Skinner argued that children acquire and develop language based purely